bohemiafilms Somersault would have to be one of the most feminine films I can remember viewing and a refreshing change from all the plot and logic heavy films that seem to dominate the cinema. Abbie Cornish and the director Cate Shortland have created a wonderful and sympathetic, if not a little frustrating character in Heidi, and watching her naive and romantic meanderings was an emotional treat.All the technical elements worked for me but in particular the score by Decoder Ring as it played within the emotional mood with a perfect harmony. Anyone who would like to spend some time inside the mind and mood of a confused and volatile young woman should take a look at this simple but beautiful film.

rooee Like last year's Bright Star, Somersault sees the luminous Abbie Cornish steal every scene in a neatly framed, well-meaning, but vapid love story. This Heidi is no Fanny though; she's shy and desperate to feel wanted, and emotional security above romance is the order of the day. She obviously sees something similarly fragile in Sam Worthington's Joe. It's just a pity that Worthington the actor hasn't the subtlety to convince us of this hidden sensitivity; his shifts in mood come across as minor Hulk moments. He even has a Lou Ferrigno mullet.The plotting itself is fine, but the dialogue is often flat and feels very 'written': lots of unlikely, monosyllabic, stabbing exchanges, which tend to undermine the chilly rawness of the film's photography and themes.There's a bleak spine of truth running through Cate Shortland's debut feature, and many well-observed scenes. But ultimately it comes off as a kind of STI-free rendition of Lilya-4-Ever.

Robert J. Maxwell Not a bad film, an unpretentious leisurely examination of just how tough it is to find someone able to show you love -- in case we didn't already know. If Heidi, Abbie Cornish, a toothsome teen ager, so gloriously blond that even her eyebrows seem bleached, has such trouble, the rest of us must have gone through absolute hell. She's sweet, shy, submissive, and aching to be touched.How she manages to run into so many male nincompoops is hard to understand -- a lecherous Mom's boyfriend, a guy who's worried he might be gay, two rich kids who pick her up drunk and take her home for a threesome, the father of a tentative girl friend who lies in order to dishonor her. A regular line-up of losers. Any normal man would immediately comply when she begs to have her hand held, cuddle her like a tiny gerbil, then squeeze and bite her and have done with it.It isn't impossible for men to follow this movie, given that the male viewers are of normal character. It's that men are less interested than woman, and perhaps a little embarrassed, by films whose interpretations depend on emotional nuances. Men tend to ask themselves questions like, "What would John Wayne do?" However, it's an interesting effort, this minor film about a lonely, narcissistic young girl. "Narcissistic" in the Freudian sense of needing to be loved, not in the everyday sense of self-loving. The performances are fine, and the blue photography takes us out of the urban setting and away from the more common outback into a cold and snowy universe that most non-Australians are likely to be unfamiliar with. It also provides us with a glimpse into the lower-prole life of those who are barely making it in this setting, the people who drive rusted pickup trucks and live in shabby motel rooms and gurgle beer.It might have used a bit of humor, something to relieve the heavy volume of dreariness. Nobody ever seems happy or amused. At best, Heidi shows hope, which -- twice -- is dashed.However, a somersault is when you fall forward, roll over, and wind up standing erect, and that, basically, is the trajectory of the plot. Heidi takes off from home with a backpack, victimized, falls in with flawed company, and is rescued by a forgiving mother at the end. Heidi may or may not have learned anything from this escapade but perhaps her mother has.

Inspiration-BG When I heard about this movie about a week ago i put it on my Netflix Que to watch. When it arrived i watched the film, and was disappointed at its execution. This films idea is excellent and needs to be addressed. The problem is that out main character is very undeveloped, and there is not one strong supporting role in the film. The story moved WAY to fast and the audience had no time what so ever to connect in an emotional way. The films pallet was nicely chosen, the blues how ever became way to over used, I like blue in a film but it needs to be balanced out with other tones a little less cool that blue such as white. All in all i Give this a 4/10.